Gut Microbiota Profiling in Obese Children

Childhood obesity is not merely detrimental to a child's respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, and motor systems, but also serves as a substantial risk factor for adult obesity and related metabolic disorders, thereby emerging as a significant global public health concern. In addition to genetic and lifestyle factors, recent studies have found that the microbes in the digestive tract play a crucial role in the occurrence and development of obesity. A total of 19 normal-weight children and 47 children with varying degrees of obesity were recruited for this study. We investigated factors such as parental weight, parental educational background, and the children's lifestyle habits. Concurrently, we conducted sequencing analysis of the children's gut microbiota composition. Our results suggest that fathers of obese children tend to be obese themselves, and children from families with more educated mothers are more likely to maintain a normal weight. Regarding lifestyle habits, overweight children tend to spend more time on electronic devices and less time on physical activities compared to their normal-weight counterparts.In terms of gut microbiota composition, children with varying degrees of obesity showed similar compositions. There was no slight difference in alpha diversity among normal and varying degrees of obese children. However, beta diversity revealed significant differences in the gut microbiota composition between normal weight children and those with varying degrees of obesity. LEfSe analysis indicated a significant reduction in the proportion of Bacteroidota and a significant increase in Firmicutes in the gut of obese children. The ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidota also increased in children with varying degrees of obesity. Additionally, we observed an increase in Actinobacteriota in the gut microbiota of children with varying degrees of obesity. PICRUSt analysis results demonstrated significant metabolic differences between the microbiota functions of obese and normal-weight children. Thus, the difference in microbiota composition could be a crucial factor contributing to obesity. Our study provides valuable insights for the treatment of childhood obesity.